TY - JOUR
T1 - Unequal but essential
T2 - How subsistence consumer–entrepreneurs negotiate unprecedented shock with extraordinary resilience during COVID-19
AU - Viswanathan, Madhubalan
AU - Faruque Aly, Hussein
AU - Duncan, Ronald
AU - Mandhan, Namrata
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2021 by The American Council on Consumer Interests
PY - 2021/3
Y1 - 2021/3
N2 - We use qualitative interviews to study subsistence consumers confronting the global, pervasive and extended challenges of COVID-19, encompassing literally all realms of daily life. For subsistence consumers whose circumstances are filled with day-to-day uncertainty and a small margin of error to begin with, the pandemic has led to manifold uncertainties and a disappearing margin of error, with potentially lethal consequences. Their constraints to thinking and lack of self-confidence arising from both low income and low literacy are magnified in the face of the complex, invisible pandemic and the fear and panic it has caused. Characteristic relational strengths are weakened with social distancing and fear of infection. Yet, subsistence consumers display humanity in catastrophe, and confront the uncontrollable by reiterating a higher power. Consumption is reduced to the very bare essentials and income generation involves staying the course versus finding any viable alternative. We derive implications for consumer affairs.
AB - We use qualitative interviews to study subsistence consumers confronting the global, pervasive and extended challenges of COVID-19, encompassing literally all realms of daily life. For subsistence consumers whose circumstances are filled with day-to-day uncertainty and a small margin of error to begin with, the pandemic has led to manifold uncertainties and a disappearing margin of error, with potentially lethal consequences. Their constraints to thinking and lack of self-confidence arising from both low income and low literacy are magnified in the face of the complex, invisible pandemic and the fear and panic it has caused. Characteristic relational strengths are weakened with social distancing and fear of infection. Yet, subsistence consumers display humanity in catastrophe, and confront the uncontrollable by reiterating a higher power. Consumption is reduced to the very bare essentials and income generation involves staying the course versus finding any viable alternative. We derive implications for consumer affairs.
KW - COVID-19
KW - poverty
KW - subsistence marketplaces
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U2 - 10.1111/joca.12351
DO - 10.1111/joca.12351
M3 - Article
C2 - 33821035
AN - SCOPUS:85100990199
SN - 0022-0078
VL - 55
SP - 151
EP - 178
JO - Journal of Consumer Affairs
JF - Journal of Consumer Affairs
IS - 1
ER -